There are basically three mechanisms for expanding health-care coverage, and two of them have always been anathema to the Republicans: single-payer and an employer mandate. Clinton chose the employer mandate as the less radical alternative to single-payer, and thus the individual mandate was born as a Republican idea, delivered by the party’s intellectual obstetrics ward, the Heritage Foundation.

Republicans, from John Chafee to Bob Bennett to, most famously, Mitt Romney, embraced the mandate. For some, it seemed in keeping with an emphasis on individual responsibility; the state shouldn’t be expected to pay for people who can afford to enter the private insurance market. For others, it was simply the least obnoxious way to make the numbers work; I imagine this describes Mitt Romney’s support.

But then, a funny thing happened, and it happened fast. Barack Obama, initially skeptical of the mandate, embraced it as president, reasoning that it had enjoyed significant bipartisan support in the past and was therefore the best mechanism to increase coverage, the major goal of his and other previous health-care bills.

For a while, the mandate remained uncontroversial, but as the bill gained momentum, Republican pollsters,seeking ammo to defeat it, started to notice that a certain swath of voters hated the idea. This polling corresponded with the rise of the Tea Party and its distrust of government power. But still the mandate survived, and the law passed — barely.

1. One observation....

The pukes are against anything if Obama supports it. He could support having Jesus come to dinner @ the White House on a State Dinner and they would oppose it.

We have only two real choices in this country...

(1) We mandate that everyone has private health insurance through various carrot and stick policies OR

(2) We have a public option

The pukes really don't like either but they should be more excited about giving their health insurance lobbyists lots of candy with the mandate. Unfortunately the lobbyists wanted the candy without the downside - actually providing health care for Americans. What a concept.

4. To achieve that all Blue Dogs and DINOS would have to be purged from the Democratic Party ranks

along with the removal of Citizens United and all the money in politics,

If we as Americanâ€™s really want change Citizens United needs to be over turned, lobbying made illegal and campaigns publically financed.

This is the only peaceful path to change, voting is iffy at best now, and those who talk a good liberal game many times turn out to be a Blue Dog once in office. Besides in many places in America the vote count is rigged already.